Building panel



April 22, 1941. J. MESLIN BUILDING PANEL Filed Dec. 18, 1939 Illlilllllllllilllil. v! n 72 r INVENTOR cfahn Meal 2'01 ATT'OR N EYS Patented Apr. 22, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE BUILDING PANEL .lohn Meslin, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application December 18, 1939, Serial No. 309,876

2 Claims.

My invention relates to buildings, and has among its objects and advantages the provision of an improved sheet metal panel.

An object of my invention is to provide a sheet metal panel which may be anchored to the ceiling or walls through the medium of nails, and in which the panels may be arranged partly in overlapping relation and nailed to the supporting structure, with the nail heads terminating flush with the outer faces of the panels.

A further object is to provide a sheet metal panel which may be nailed to a supporting structure and in which novel means are incorporated to the end that the nail heads may be driven flush with the outer faces of the panels without buckling or otherwise distorting the panels.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a view illustrating my panels applied to a ceiling;

Figure 2 is a sectional view of the structure illustrated in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of one of the panels;

Figure 4 is an enlarged perspective view of one corner of the panels;

Figure 5 is a sectional view of the panels applied to a wall illustrating the manner in which the panels are provided with backing to resist distortion; and

Figure 6 is an enlarged sectional detail view of an overlapped joint between two wall panels.

In the embodiment selected to illustrate my invention, Fig. 3 illustrates a sheet metal panel II] ofiset along two marginal edges to provide flanges I2, which lie in a common plane paralleling the area I4. The two other marginal edges are bent back upon themselves to rovide flanges I6, which are spaced from the area M to receive filler strips I3. Filler strips I8 may comprise any suitable material such as cardboard and constitute a backing which prevents collapsing of the flanges I6 and the areas I4 when the panels are nailed to the supporting structure.

Flanges I2 are provided with large openings 20 spaced at suitable intervals, the spacing depending upon the number of nails to be used for a given panel. Referring to Fig. 1, the area I4 is provided with a series of small openings 22 along the margins under which the flanges I6 lie, and the openings 22 are spaced exactly as the openings 20 so that one series of openings 22 will register with the underlying series of openings 20 in the underlying flange I2 of an adjacent panel.

Fig. 3 illustrates a rear view of the panel ill, which face of the panel lies adjacent the ceiling, with one flange I6 overlying one flange l2 on a previously laid panel. Flanges I2 are cut diagonally at 24 so as to permit close nesting of the panels, as illustrated in Fig. 1. The panels, when being laid, may be temporarily fastened to facilitate permanent nailing by driving small nails 2%) through the flanges I2.

When the panels are laid according to Fig. 1, the openings 22 will accurately register with the openings 20 in the underlying flanges l2. Finishing nails 26 are then driven in the openings 22, through the filler strips I8 and the flanges l5, through the large openings 2% and into the supporting structure 28. Since the flanges l6 are imperforate, driving of the nails 26 through these flanges will form burrs 35 which bend into the openings 2!] and form keys which prevent relative lateral shifting between the panels. Thus, the openings 28 provide accommodation for the burrs 3i).

Openings 22 are of such diameters as to fit snugly about the heads 32 of the finishing nails 26, and the nails are driven to bring the faces of the heads flush with the outer faces of the panels Ill. Strips 18 provide effective backing for the areas I4 of the panels It so as to protect the areas against buckling or permanent distortion should the hammer strike the panels. The openings formed in the flanges it when the nails are driven theretlirough fit tightly on the nails which provides an anchorage which firmly supports the panels relatively to each other and with respect to the supporting structure 23.

Flanges I2 are nailed firmly against the supporting structure 28, while the flanges It provide reenforcement and rigidity so that the corresponding margins of the panels are brought into effective pressure relation with the underlying flanges l2 to provide a dustprooi joint. For ceiling covering purposes, filler strips I8 are of a width corresponding to the width of the flanges IE5, and the areas M of the panels are spaced from the adjacent face of the support 28.

In covering walls, it is preferable to provide a filler 34 for the entire area M, as illustrated in Fig. 5 so as to afford eifective backing for the panels. Filler 34 may comprise fiber board. Thus, the relatively thin sheet metal panels which provide the wall covering are backed in such manner as to resist denting and buckling so as to maintain a perfectly smooth surface. Filler strips I8 will, of course, be inserted between the flanges l6 and the corresponding margins of the area l4.

Flanges I 6 are so spaced from the area I4 as to bring the outer face of one area I4 flush with the corresponding face of an adjacent panel when the flanges 16 are positioned over the underlying flanges 12. Thus, the panels or areas M are positioned in abutting relation throughout the wall or ceiling, with the outer faces of the areas l4 lying in a common plane. O penings 2B are of sufiicient diameters to provide ample accommodation for the burrs 30 so as to eliminate separation of the overlapping parts,

particularly with respect to the flanges IS on the underlying flanges l2.

Having thus described certain embodiments "of my invention in detail, it is, of course, understood that I do not desire tolimit the scope thereof to the exact details set forth except inso far as those details may be defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A building panel having an ofiset flange and a nailing flange bent back upon the panel but spaced therefrom, said panel being provided with nail receiving openings opposite said nailing flange, flller means positioned between said nailing flange and the panel, said offset flange being provided with openings and adapted to underlie .the nailing flange of an adjacent panel, with the openings in the offset flange aligning with the nail receiving openings in the overlying panel, the nail receiving openings in said panel being of such diameters as to fit about the peripheral contour of the heads of nails driven through the nailing strip to bring the heads of the nails flush With the panel, the openings in said offset flange being larger than the diameter of the nail to provide spaces for burrs formed on said nailing flange when the nails are driven therethrough.

2. A building panel having ofiset flanges and nailing flanges bent back upon the panel but spaced therefrom, said panel being provided with nail receiving openings opposite said nailing flanges, filler means positioned between said nailing flanges and the panel, said ofiset flanges being provided with openings and adapted to underlie the nailing flanges of adjacent panels, with. the openings in the oiTset flanges aligning with the. nail receiving openings in the overlying panels, the nail receiving openings in said panel being of such diameters as to fit about the peripheral contour of the heads of nails driven through the nailing strip to bring the heads of the nails flush with the panels, the openings in said ofiset flanges being of larger diameters than the nails to provide spacesfor burrs formed on the nailing flanges when the nails are driven therethrough, said burrs fitting snugly inside the openings in said ofiset flanges to restrain the overlapped panels from relative shifting JOHN MESLIN. 

